FGM unit set up to stop practice in UK

The government is to set up a female genital mutilation unit, as part of a wide-ranging package of reforms to stop the practice in the UK.

Speaking at the Girl Summit – a major international conference in London designed to highlight the issues of FGM and child marriage – the home secretary, Theresa May, said the cross-party unit would help protect thousands of girls across the country.

The unit, which could operate in a similar way to the government's forced marriage unit, has been a key demand of campaigners against FGM. "These measures will ensure that we can maintain the momentum on stamping out these harmful practices," May said.

The home secretary said the government would also strengthen laws around FGM, and would hold parents responsible if their child was a victim of the practice. May also announced a consultation into making it mandatory for professionals to report FGM and said victims going through court cases would be given lifelong anonymity.

A push to improve police responses to FGM will see forces inspected on their response to honour-based violence, with a focus on FGM and forced marriage. The college of policing has also begun a consultation on new guidelines, which will urge officers to dismiss fears of being labelled racist when dealing with FGM. FGM has been illegal in the UK for three decades, but the first prosecution was only made in March and is currently going through the courts.

May said that as part of a £1.4m FGM prevention programme, charities will receive funding to create community "champions" with the "cultural knowledge and the connections necessary to challenge beliefs and behaviours".

"We are making progress. Today we are taking one more step on the road towards giving women a voice and eradicating these harmful practices," she said.

Meanwhile, more than 600 people attended an event at the Walworth Academy in south London as part of the Girl Summit. In a video message, the general secretary of the UN, Ban Ki-moon, said he had been inspired by young campaigners on the issue. He singled out for praise Fahma Mohammed, the face of the Guardian's campaign to get more information FGM into schools. "I commend global leaders and brave activists confronting these problems especially the courageous from young women in affected communities," he said. "They deserve our full support. Like Fahma Mohammed, who inspired me so much when we met in March with the Guardian's campaign. I pledged to her, and I repeat today, that I will continue to raise my voice about the urgency of ending these harmful practices."

victorisnotamused wrote:and once again we the british tax payer are saddled with a bill, caused SOLEY by "multiculuralism"

WE are having to pay through the nose to stop a soley "foreign initiated and promulgated illegal act"

When people point out the "benefits" of multiculturalism, they totally fail to offset the real physical costs of these

so when people say multiculturalism actually makes money for britain just remember the true costs of it.

If we were to PROPERLY target these costs, all "other cultures" should pay extra tax/NI to cover the cost to US of having them here....

victorisnotamused wrote:Nope didge you are wrong (as usual)....

we know which "cultural groups" practice this....so THEY should pay the extra tax and NI to provide the policing of this... WE havnt failed anyone......stop the redistribution of guilt, THAT lies soley with those groups that condone this practice.

as to other costs...we again can show which groups are responsible for these costs...so they pay more.....

there are plenty on here that willingly advocate for smokers to be denied free NHS treatment if they need it...DESPITE the fact that THAT is utter garbage since smokers ALREADY pay MORE than their fair contribution via the heavy duty on tobacco......(and yes sigh...if you insist .........I CAN prove that) So why shouldnt these other very expensive foreign foibles be charged to the groups who need it??????????

BigAndy9 wrote:Yeah, and BigAndy9 and Nick Griffin were asking for action on this 10 years ago.

Disgraceful how political correctness comes before the suffering of children in liberal England.

Ben_Reilly wrote:

BigAndy9 wrote:Yeah, and BigAndy9 and Nick Griffin were asking for action on this 10 years ago.

Disgraceful how political correctness comes before the suffering of children in liberal England.

You are aware that everyone, left or right, including you and Griffin, knows that you don't actually care about any of these victims.

Sassy wrote:

Ben_Reilly wrote:

You are aware that everyone, left or right, including you and Griffin, knows that you don't actually care about any of these victims.

Absolutely, especially being the ignorant fool he is, he believed it was a Muslim custom and didn't even know it went on in many parts of the world, and stemmed long before religion came about.   I very glad they are doing something that Woman for Woman have been calling for action on for many years.

heavenlyfatheragain wrote:hmm will it make any difference, will they still just go abroad, does doctor patient confidentiality affect it, would a Muslim doctor tell anyone he found a problem or would he agree with it..

it all sounds like a huge smoke and mirrors act to try to stop the rightfully outraged people not a real attempt to stop the mutilation of young girls..

Sassy wrote:Or the Christian one's, who also do it in certain areas.

heavenlyfatheragain wrote:

Sassy wrote:Or the Christian one's, who also do it in certain areas.

lol .........

Shady wrote:Someone remind me.Isn't Beaky/Lone Wank an Abbo?.......And they're into all this clitoris mutilation aren't they?

Sub humans.

Nems wrote:So we all bring our little points to score and no one gives a stuff about the victims of FGM

Nems wrote:So we all bring our little points to score and no one gives a stuff about the victims of FGM

heavenlyfatheragain wrote:

Nems wrote:So we all bring our little points to score and no one gives a stuff about the victims of FGM

i'm not sure why some idiots think circumcision is anything like female genital mutilation but i guess it is the only way they can stop the Muslims looking like savages...

Shady wrote:Someone remind me.Isn't Beaky/Lone Wank an Abbo?.......And they're into all this clitoris mutilation aren't they?

Sub humans.

Original Quill wrote:

Nems wrote:So we all bring our little points to score and no one gives a stuff about the victims of FGM

Well, FGM is meaningless.  It's like gastrointestinal surgery...it covers everything from soup to nuts.  On the other hand, why single out female mutilation?  It's hard to get up in arms when they miss the mark so badly.

Why don't they talk about what they mean?  They don't, because the whole question of fraught with politics.

Nems wrote:

Original Quill wrote:

Well, FGM is meaningless.  It's like gastrointestinal surgery...it covers everything from soup to nuts.  On the other hand, why single out female mutilation?  It's hard to get up in arms when they miss the mark so badly.

Why don't they talk about what they mean?  They don't, because the whole question of fraught with politics.

Well what I understand to be FGM is a barbaric and savage practice.
This unit being set up is soundbite politics, its meaningless and will achieve nothing more than generating a few reports. I don't think any one has ever been prosecuted for this in the UK.  There is no appetite to do anymore than talk about this subject

heavenlyfatheragain wrote:

Nems wrote:

Well what I understand to be FGM is a barbaric and savage practice.
This unit being set up is soundbite politics, its meaningless and will achieve nothing more than generating a few reports. I don't think any one has ever been prosecuted for this in the UK.  There is no appetite to do anymore than talk about this subject

Precisely, just there to make it look like something is being done...

in many ways it is even more counter productive than doing nothing about it as now we have a whole army of paid idiots reporting about something we are doing nothing about..

Nems wrote:

heavenlyfatheragain wrote:

Precisely, just there to make it look like something is being done...

in many ways it is even more counter productive than doing nothing about it as now we have a whole army of paid idiots reporting about something we are doing nothing about..

Exactly HF
good to see you back again!